1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to hats and more particularly, to improved headwear offering enhanced protection against sun exposure to both the head and neck.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An early example of the most basic headwear intended to provide protection against the sun may be considered to be no more than a scarf member wrapped about one's head and which includes a tail portion draped over the wearer's neck and alternately wrapped across the face. Such headwear is most often identified with that as worn by residents of the North Africa desert regions and will be acknowledged to shield one's head, face and neck against exposure to both the sun and blowing sand. Such headwear may be considered by some persons to be a bit extreme and counter to current fashion trends. In any case, such a device falls short of allowing for ventilation and most certainly requires decided skill in its use, by the majority of persons.
Functionality aside, most users associate headwear with a device having a brim with a headband or the equivalent, with or without a crown and such headwear finds broad appeal with persons engaged in all sorts of outdoor activities including but not limited to, those whose trade or sports activities keep them in the out of doors a good part of any sunny day.
An early example of a hat offering a wide brim will be found in U.S. Design Pat. No. 112,585 issued Dec. 13, 1938 and which depicts a brim of varying width and which appears to divulge a trim element on its inner edge presenting an open top area leaving the crown of a wearer's head exposed to the elements. This is in contrast to the instant device wherein protection is offered to one's face, entire head as well as the neck.
The hat shown in U.S. Design Pat. No. 114,906 issued to Rothchild on May 23, 1939 illustrates a full, imperforate crown bounded by a rolled, minimal width brimlike member with a gathered tail portion streaming from the rear of the crown portion. Again, the present device differs in offering a partially nonimperforate crown and likewise includes a regulatable, functional brim and contiguous member offering full 360 degree protection against the sun.
The headgear disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,349,471 issued May 23, 1944 to Starbeck includes a full circle, constant width brim and a crown section having two slide fasteners allowing the folding back of crown flaps to expose mesh sections. This arrangement is unlike that proposed herein and where adaptability is achieved by an elasticized section along the crown lower edge, in combination with an alternately displaceable neck flap or drape.
A hat provided With distinct crown ventilation portions will be found in U.S. Patent Design Pat. No. 271,250 issued Nov. 8, 1983 to Burgin et al. In this instance, the design of the hat is akin to that of the well known pith helmet which comprises a rigid crown and brim. There is not seen in this patent the soft, flexible foldable nature of the present invention, nor the alternately displaceable neck flap.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,234,828 issued to Tramana on Jul. 31, 1917 teaches the concept of a hat convertible to several styles and includes a headband frame supporting a crown frame and to which a soft crown piece and/or brim element may be attached as well as an overdrape or turban member. Tramana's arrangement lacks the partial brim member containing flotation material as in the subject invention as well as the crown ventilation segments and self-adjusting crown headband feature.
A collapsible hat will be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,096,590 issued Jun. 27, 1978 to Keshock and wherein a fully circular snap brim includes a sinuously configured spring member attached to the brim periphery. This is a departure from the instant arrangement wherein a soft, non fully circular brim is attached to a ventilated crown having an elasticized headband segment allowing of automatic adjustability.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,128 issued to Watson, Jr. on Sep. 17, 1991 discloses a version of protective headwear comprising a soft kerchief attached to a brim and includes a tie securable behind the head to retain the device upon the head with a draping portion of the kerchief shielding the back of the wearer's neck. This is contrary to the current invention wherein a distinct crown member is provided with ventilation portions and includes an elasticized rear segment from which depends a neck drape that is displaceable between use and non-use positions.
A further example of headwear provided with a ventilated section is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,159,720 issued Nov. 3, 1992 to Scott, Jr. and wherein the forward portion of a hat brim comprises a see-through mesh material. This is unlike the present case, wherein ventilated portions are included in the crown portion to offer cooling within the interior of the crown.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in any combination, is seen to even remotely suggest or describe the instant invention as claimed herein.